


Faint of Heart

by Drafter



Series: HxH Whump Stories [4]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Angst, Doctor Leorio Paladiknight, Fluff and Angst, Heart Attacks, Kinda Fluffy, M/M, Medical Procedures, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oxygen mask, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, leopika - Freeform, not much of a whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27002254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drafter/pseuds/Drafter
Summary: The voyage to the Dark Continent can be strenuous, but nothing compares to having to worry about Kurapika.
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Series: HxH Whump Stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966612
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Faint of Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober prompt #13: Oxygen Mask
> 
> I'm not a Leopika shipper myself, but I wanted to play around with this pairing for a bit. This turned out pretty cute, I think, and not nearly as dark as my other Whumptober fics.
> 
> And just for context, the story takes place during the cruise to the Dark Continent, where Leorio is helping as medical staff.
> 
> Rated T for language (couple of F-bombs)

Leorio knew the trip to the Dark Continent would keep him busy, drained really. His shifts were long, Cheadle was the most strict superior he ever had, and people were dying left and right on that ship. He had never worked so hard. Just a few days had gone by, and he was already feeling much savvier than when the whole thing started. Not to mention the thick skin he was developing. At that point, he thought he had seen it all.

Still, his heart froze the day they brought Kurapika in.

His first thought was that his friend had been a victim of the killer that was still on the lose. Sweat beads were rolling down his forehead, and for a second or two, the world went mute. He just didn’t know what to do. It was almost like he had forgotten everything he had learnt so far, his mind as blank as the fog on a winter day. The panic was so intense he only woke up when someone yelled his name.

Then all his senses came back at once. He rushed to grab his first aid kit, pretending the best he could that he was fine, that the situation was not getting to him at all, that he was the diligent medical student-turned-Zodiac he was supposed to be. But his hands were shaking, and the sweat kept coming down. His heart was on fire.

“I’ll take it from here,” he said to the other apprentices, and waited for them to leave.

The first thing he checked was his pulse. And when he heard the weak, yet steady beating of his heart, he felt 10 pounds lighter.

“Damn you, Kurapika, what did you get yourself into this time?” he muttered. 

Leorio proceeded to check his other vital signs. Kurapika’s irises were still redish underneath the eyelids, a sign he had been using his abilities. His temperature was normal, and his body was calm, placid; Leorio knew he had just fainted. Probably not a huge deal.

Then, all of a sudden, Kurapika gasped, so loud and hard that made Leorio jump. He started to pant heavily, his lungs working hard to pull the air in, his whole body convulsing on the bed, his face as red as his eyes once were. Kurapika was choking, and if Leorio rechecked his pulse, would see how fast, how dangerously fast, it was now.

Leorio almost had another panic attack, his heart jumping to the beat of Kurapika’s panting. This time, however, he didn’t freeze. He didn’t sweat or lost control of his nerves. He knew what a cardiac arrest looked like — and how critical it was. There was no time for panicking.

He proceeded to start CPR, his hands pressing hard on Kurapika’s chest. Then he held Kurapika’s head, opened his mouth and pinched his nose. Without even thinking, he placed his lips onto his and breathed in, one, two times. Then back to the chest press, mouth open, lips together, rinse, repeat.

It took a while, but Kurapika’s breathing and heart rate finally slowed down. When all his vital signs steadied, Leorio grabbed an oxygen mask and placed it carefully on Kurapika’s face. The air started to flow and the redness gradually began to fade from his fair skin.

Leorio took his own jacket off, feeling exhausted. He sat on a chair, but couldn’t stay put. His best friend’s life was in his hand just a second ago. What if he had failed? What if Kurapika had died on his watch?

“Fuck you, man! Fuck you for doing this to me!” he said.

His teeth were clenched, as if he was mad. He was just pretending, of course. The truth was he was as relieved as one can be, but he felt entitled to be mad. At least a little bit. 

Even if it was just pretending.

Why the fuck was so damn painful to love this guy?


End file.
